


The Lion Rose

by saoulkaizer



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M, Falling In Love, Growing Up, Rare Pairings, slightly AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-01
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-04-16 17:20:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 18,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14169780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saoulkaizer/pseuds/saoulkaizer
Summary: Tommen always fancied Margaery Tyrell, the future wife of his brother Joffrey, so when he dies and Tommen has to marry Margaery, he is secretly glad his brother died. At first oblivious of the game of thrones, Tommen starts to see through the lies and manigances at Kings Landing with the help of his future wife Margaery.





	1. I have to marry Margaery !

**Author's Note:**

> So here is my first fic ever, I do hope you will enjoy it, please review to tell me your impressions about it.
> 
> (If you didn't like it but like this pairing, please write fics about it, I do believe Tommen and Margaery could have done great things if they had the time)

When Tommen woke up the morning after his older brother Joffrey died, he could feel something was about to happen. Every servant crossing his path to his mother’s chamber seemed in a hurry, like something big was going on, but he could not see what was causing this hurry.

Despite being four and ten, Tommen was still clueless to the game of thrones, and for now, he could not possibly guess what his mother, the Queen Cersei, had in mind for him.

Of course, Tommen knew the agitation he was witnessing was somehow linked to Joffrey’s death, but he needed to see his mother the Queen Regent so she could explain to him what was happening.  Just as he was about to leave his room, a servant knocked at the door, informing him his mother required to see him.

 

As he walked, he recalled how beautiful Margaery Tyrell was during his brother Joffrey’s wedding.

His innocence might still be unsullied, he still felt attracted to her, and felt jealous he wasn’t the Baratheon she was marrying.

He loved how her brown hair flowed, carefully braided, on her delicate shoulders. Margaery’s eyes appeared to him to hold a tenderness hidden behind a malicious appearance.

When Margaery saw him doing something Joffrey deemed unfit to a prince, like playing with cats, she did not seemed to share her husband’s opinion and instead often pet the cats with him for a couple of minutes, and for that Tommen liked her even more.

A few times during the ceremony, she caught him looking at her and smiled. Tommen thought she was only doing that as a courtesy to her husband’s brother and yet, the smiles she gave tp other people had more distance, less kindness, or so he thought.

The moment Joffrey started to suffocate, Tommen had not found the courage to look at him, and watched Margaery’s reaction instead. Of course, she had a terrorized face, her eyes wide open, disbelieving, her mouth hidden behind her hands, she really seemed horrified, or so he thought.

Even if he felt sad for the loss of his brother, Tommen had to witness too often for his taste his brother cruelty against everything and everyone he deemed worthy of his wrath, so he couldn’t help but be relieved to know lady Tyrell wouldn’t be mistreated as he was. He couldn’t help but shudder when thinking about the memories about Joffrey hitting him when he caught him petting kittens, pretending caring for animals was something princesses did, not princes.

 

Tommen may not know anything about ruling, yet he knew for chatting with servants that being an overly cruel ruler exposed Joffrey to the hatred of his people.

For Tommen, the only persons who deserved to be punished were criminals, if he were to rule he would be reckless to this scum.

Few people knew that, but as kind Tommen could appear, he was extremely mean to those he deemed shouldn’t be living. One day, Joffrey forced him to watch an execution, thinking he would make his little brother cry, but Tommen looked the man right in the eyes as the man fell, a rope around his neck. The younger Baratheon relished to see the face of the man slowly showing his fear of dying.

 

Hearing his uncle Jamie greeting him, Tommen was pulled off from his thoughts and realized he was in front of his mother’s room. Smiling at his uncle, Tommen waited for him to announce his arrival.

Jamie knocked at the door, entered and said “My Queen, your son Tommen is here”

Tommen heard her mother telling the Kingsguard to make him enter.

 

The young lion expected to see her mother sad, grieving the loss of a son and assumed that was to share her sorrow with her last son that she asked for him.

He was quite surprised to see the only way to know the Queen was grieving was her black robe. His naiveness made him think this lack of grief was odd, especially since his mother loved Joffrey dearly, or so he thought.

Recently, Tommen started to wonder if her mother was a good person. He often overheard servants whispering mean things about his mother, pretending she wasn’t happy with her son marrying Margaery. Of course, he didn’t believe them but seeing the last events, doubt was slowly creeping into his mind and grew stronger as days passed.

The blond boy remembered his mother almost seemed happy the day his father Robert died.

At the time, he convinced himself it was because he wasn’t very gentle with her and his children, but he remembered his father asked to see his friend Ned Stark when he felt his death coming, not his wife.

Tommen shook his head to dismiss these thoughts and looked at his mother, who was watching him with a strange expression.

“You required my presence, Mother” he politely says, to ask without appearing to do so.

Before answering, Cersei looked at his last son, reveling in his obvious obliviousness about what was happening and what was going to happen.

“As a matter of fact I did, my beloved child” Cersei agrees “I have important matter to discuss with you”

Feeling he is given some responsibility, Tommen straightens.

“You know Joffrey was to wed Margaery of house Tyrell” the Queen pauses, “Maybe you didn’t notice, but it wasn’t for love”

Tommen nods, so he doesn’t appears clueless. “You are fully capable to understand why I allowed my son to marry someone he did not love”

The young lion beamed and failed to hide it, Cersei seemed pleased her flattery worked, and continued her monologue “You see, the realm needs money to properly function, a lot, and King Robert, bless his soul, spent a lot of it in debauchery and things the realm didn’t need.”

Showing he is following her speech, the young boy nods, even if he cannot really tell what debauchery meant.

“As a result, the crown is in debt, mostly to the Iron Bank, but to house Tyrell too. To achieve solving our debts, we had to wed our heir to make house Tyrell a part of the royal family”

Before Tommen could ask what he has to do with that, Cersei added “Now your brother is dead before the marriage could be consumed, and you are the heir of house Baratheon but importantly the heir of the throne, you know what that means, right?”

Taking the time to think, Tommen is quiet a few instants, his head looking away, and then gasps, looks at his mother and exclaims “I have to marry Margaery !”

 

Cersei, taken aback by his enthusiasm, does not answer at first and only manages to nod.

She is about to say something when Tommen asks “When will the wedding take place ?”

The Queen Regent mechanically answers “In a fortnight”

Tommen rushes out of the room, saying something about telling the news to his cats.

He leaves a puzzled Cersei, who clearly did not expect Tommen would be so happy.

She quickly recovers her spirits and smiles, it may be easier to manipulate him than planned.

 

Tommen was rushing to his chambers when he encountered Margaery. She was wearing a light blue dress which emphasized her body and made her soon-to-be husband think she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

 “Do you know we are going to be married in a fortnight ?” he joyfully asks

“I do, your Grace, but I also heard your coronation will take place shortly before”

Tommen is utterly shocked, firstly, he didn’t thought he would be on the Iron Throne one day, secondly Joffrey only died yesterday, thirdly he thought she was the Queen since she married Joffrey and last but not least he doesn’t feel ready to be king.

He shares his doubts about being King of the Seven Kingdoms with Margaery, who comforts him and promises him she will always be at his side if he needs help.

“We can start now if you want” she maliciously offers.

Innocently, the young boy agreed and suggested they continue talking in his bedroom.

As they enter his room, lady Tyrell tells Tommen to sit and stands in front of him.

“Let’s start by our first ‘issue’, do you know why I’m not going to succeed your brother ?” the nubile woman inquires.

“Because the bedding ceremony didn’t happen” he hesitantly tries, “And what were we supposed to do during this ceremony ?” Margaery asks, seemingly ignorant.

“Well… my brother and you were supposed to, ahem… have sex” the heir to the throne blurts out.

The yesterday-widowed woman nods, “Do you know what happens during sex ?” she teases him.

“Well, I know the boy has to put his penis into the girl’s vagina” the blond Baratheon says, blushing.

 

When Margaery learned she was to marry Tommen, she was very pleased to say the least. She told herself it was because she would easily convince Tommen to do whatever she would tell him, but in fact, she truly liked him, so when she saw how embarrassed Tommen was because of her, she felt bad and wanted to comfort him.

 

“That’s right” she started, “you do realize we are expected to do it the night of our wedding ?” she sincerely asked.

 

As much as Tommen was happy to marry Margaery, he did not at all felt ready to do something as weird as having sex, even if is with Margaery, the woman he thought he would never be close to.

 

“I do, and I will, because I don’t want to disappoint my mother” Tommen answered.

“You know, we could still pretend we did it, you will be the King of the Seven Kingdoms, no one will dare to doubt your words” Margaery offered.

Tommen nodded, happy to have a way out in case he could not force himself. Then he realized that as much he liked Margaery, he did not know her that well, “We are to be husband and wife, yet I don’t know much about you, could you please tell me about the things you enjoy ?” the young Baratheon asked.

Deciding Tommen would really be a much greater man than his brother, Margaery sincerely smiled at him “Of course, please follow me, I have something to show you” she said, holding her hand for him to grab. Tommen quickly stood up and took Margaery’s hand, glad about his day and excited about his future.


	2. I don't want to dislike my mother, but how can't I ?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommen starts to doubt about his mother's sincerity, Margaery slowly starts to being attached to Tommen and reconsider her goals as the future Queen.

Four days passed since Margaery learned she would marry Tommen . She was relieved because Tommen was nicer than his brother, in addition of his inexperience on pretty much everything, which will make things easier for her to manipulate him. When Joffrey was still alive, she was afraid he might want her to satisfy his sexual desires, which disgusted her because she disliked him and figured he had weird kinks. Worse, she probably would have been forced to give him children, an idea which still frightened her. Needless to say, she hadn’t the same worries with Tommen, his reaction about the bedding assuring her she would not have to lay with him often, and even if he was interested in such things, the prospect of bearing his children seemed more than acceptable. On top of that, Joffrey barely listened to anyone advices, so it would have been complicated to make him do things she wanted. When she thought about it, it truly was a blessing that someone managed to poison that bastard.

When she found Tommen the day following Joffrey’s death, running to tell her they would soon be married, carefree about the implications and the games of power, she smiled at how naïve he was.  That would be easier than she expected, she thought.

She planned on being the true ruler, telling Tommen how to rule and what to do, persuading him by giving something she figured he never really had, such as affection or compliments. If it did not work, she figured being the first sexual experience of Tommen will allow her to make him do whatever she wants. Alas, before achieving  her plans, she first had to get rid of Cersei, and it might be difficult if she does not achieve to make Tommen realize how nefarious his mother is, and he seemed to care about her opinion when they spoke about the bedding ceremony. Margaery decided she had to find a way to transform him from a boy listening to his mom, to a man listening to his wife.

Sadly, Tommen might be the only one blind about his mother intentions. Cersei Lannister did not intend to let her son and his spouse rule, she only wanted to satisfy the people and surely was thinking of a way to get rid of her, Margaery assumed.

What Margaery did not plan was that when he asked her to show him what she liked to do and where she enjoyed going, she truly felt honored of his interest for her, as no one never bothered to try to know her, except men who wanted to lay with her. Caring about someone may seem childish and naïve coming from a future king, but she thought he may in fact be right about how to act around people. Even if he tried to hide his nervousness, Margaery could see right through him and admired how he did everything he could to be as ready as he could when the day of his coronation comes. Whereas some would see in his fear of being a bad ruler an incapacity to sit on the Throne, she saw what made the greatest rulers: to worry about the well-being of the realm.

One day, while they were walking on the gardens, Margaery taking care of being as close as she could from Tommen and making sure he felt her body on his arm, she asked him how he felt about becoming king.

“To be honest, I never thought I would be the king someday, and I never aspired to” he began, “I don’t know much about ruling and politics, but I know it means making difficult decisions and sometimes choosing between two possibilities which both have serious consequences.” he stopped talking for a moment, then sighed, “ All I ever wanted was to live in a small and quiet castle with my wife and our children”

To say the least, Margaery was surprised at how much thought he put into his ideas, and realized he may be more mature than a lot of people, including her, thought. She made a mental note that he wanted kids and assured him he would manage to find happiness.

Of course, she still kept in her mind her idea to make him rule as she intended to, giving nonchalantly her opinion about some aspects of Cersei’s ruling, trying to convince him she was right without appearing to force her ideas on him.

Tommen was as much excited about sharing the rest of his life with Margaery than he was terrified at the mere idea of being King of the Seven Kingdoms. Fortunately for him, Margaery was here to help him, as she repeated each day. He spent as much time as he could with Margaery, chatting with her, learning to know her better. Tommen was glad Margaery never brought up the subject of the bedding ceremony again since the first day, even if he felt his apprehension decrease as he grew acquainted with the constant proximity with Margaery.

He would spend even more time with her if it wasn’t for his mother, who failed more and more to hide her disapproval, said disapproval which, unbeknownst to her, displeased her son everyday a little bit more and made Tommen reevaluate the affection he had for her.

One day, as he was silently enjoying the day with Margaery, sat at the top of a creek, Cersei required his presence in her room and then proceed to lecture him about spending time alone with a woman

“It isn’t proper to spend time alone with a woman, even if said woman is to be your wife” she said. Tommen then argued “ I want to know her better, Margaery is an interesting person”, but then his mother only told him “A king does not have to care about his wife”.

“If a king doesn’t care about the most important person in his life, then why would he care for a people he knows nothing about ?” Tommen vehemently snapped.

“You just started spending time with her, she isn’t already the most important person in your life” Cersei sarcastically said, wanting to make him feel childish, and avoiding to answer his question.

“She will be, and it may happen sooner than you think.”

Tommen was angered with his mother and failed to completely suppress the anger he felt towards her. _How did she thought she was allowed to judge his relation with Margaery ?_

Taken aback by the force of Tommen’s answer, Cersei apologized for being rude with him and hugged him, which in the past was enough for Tommen to forgive her, but he did not hug her in return, as he had the weird feeling his mother was not sincere. In fact, he now had the strong impression his mother was only sincere when she said mean things.  He left as soon as his mother stopped hugging him, barely saying goodbye, thus leaving a puzzled Cersei who wondered when her little son became so strong-willed, blaming Margaery’s bad influence.

 

When he talked about that with Margaery, both sitting in his room, she pretended to take Cersei’s side, “You know, I think your mother is just afraid of losing you, the only son she has left, don’t be angry at her” she said, despite despising Cersei and wholeheartedly agreeing with the sincerity part.

“I know, yet I now feel like she stopped  caring about me when I became ten years old and then only began to care again when  I became the future king. It pains me to feel such dislike towards my mother, but I can help  but think maybe the servants I used to overheard speaking about her were right, she isn’t a good person. To be completely honest, I even wonder if she is a truly good ruler” Tommen confessed, visibly torn apart and tired, “and I really miss the time when she used to tenderly hug me” he added in a whisper, going back to his usual naive expression.

“Well, I’m not your mother, but I truly care about you and I can try hugging you if you want” Margaery offered, glad she could replace Cersei while also sincerely wanting to help him. She got closer to him and hugged him with all the tenderness she could give, his head resting on her shoulder. At first, she did all the hugging, but after a couple of minutes, Tommen rose his arms and hugged her. They both grew used to being close during their walks outside, but now there was something more in the contact of their bodies. It might be the intimacy of Tommen’s chambers,  or maybe it was feeling the other breath, or simply the sincerity of their feelings, but Tommen as well as Margaery truly felt their sorrows go away.

Margaery would probably never say it out loud, but she needed this hug as much as Tommen did. Since she arrived in King’s Landing, she thought it was necessary to hide as much as possible her emotions,  but spending time with Tommen started to make her change her mind about that. Despite being younger than her, Tommen sometimes managed to reassure her and make her feel protected. During the hug, she surprised herself feeling truly happy about her life and optimistic about her future.

Even if he did not manage to do it perfectly, Tommen still tried as much as he could to hide his feelings and his true opinion on some subjects, and he was delighted to finally have someone to share his emotions. It certainly did wonders to his mood that this someone was a woman as beautiful as Margaery.

“How do you feel now, my king ?” Margaery asked, still split between wanting to control him and wanting to comfort him, even if for the moment, controlling him was the last thing  in her mind.

“Better, thanks Margaery” he started, moving his head from her shoulder to look at her, “but I don’t feel ready to be a king, will you help me with that too, as my wife and best friend ?” he asked.

It would be so easy to control him and rule the kingdom on his name, she thought, and yet she still felt bad for him, the youngest prince that was never supposed to rule and never aspired to, thrown in a completely different life without his consent in less than a day. As a consequence, when Tommen asked her if she, his best friend, would help him rule, she nodded and promised him, as well as herself, that she would always be on his side. When she thought about it, maybe his interests will coincide with hers, and so no one will have to be manipulated nor betrayed. Despite her strong desire of ruling on the Seven Kingdoms, she had to admit she couldn’t resolve herself to completely take advantage of such a caring soul.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Tommen sat further from Margaery before inviting the person who knocked to open the door. His uncle Jamie opened the door, noticed Margaery and had a quick smile before turning to Tommen and announced :

“Dear nephew, you will be crowned in three days”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me honestly what you thought about it


	3. Who do I trust ?

Shortly after his uncle Jaime informed him about his coronation, Cersei asked Tommen to come discuss the details with her in private. Leaving the warmth of Margaery’s embrace, Tommen reluctantly walked to his mother’s room.

 A few days back, he would have been clueless about his mother’s intentions, but unfortunately for Cersei, Tommen everyday grew further from his past self. If he had to say what made him change that much, he probably would say it was Joffrey’s death which triggered the change. Seeing a close relative die was a traumatic experience and the fact that his brother was poisoned surely helped make Tommen aware that things were not what they seemed in King’s Landing. In addition of this revelation, the deepening of his relation with Margaery allowed him to have another point of view on some subjects and reconsider his opinion on them but also on Cersei. So when he entered his mother’s room, welcomed by Cersei a smile intended to be sincere and reassure him plastered on her face, Tommen made no mistake : it wasn’t his mother who asked to see him, but rather the Queen who will soon be replaced. Like a confirmation of his intuition, Tommen noticed Cersei was wearing her crown, something she usually did not do when only the two of them spoke.

“How do you feel about becoming king ?” Cersei asked, hoping that his anger from earlier did not meant she could not control him anymore.

“Ruling is an heavy burden for sure, and I will need help to do what is right and say what I must” Tommen began, trying his best to seem unsure and afraid of ruling.

Of course, he was afraid but in a way that made him stronger and forced him to do his best. Usually, Cersei would not have failed to see through him like she did with most of people, yet at this moment, she  was so desperate to keep control of the realm,  she did not notice Tommen’s trick and seized what seemed an opportunity to stay close to the power.

“Don’t worry my child, I will gladly help you, as your mother and as a servant of the Kingdom.” As she spoke, she stood up and approached Tommen, to join her behavior with her words.

Usually, Tommen would have failed to see through her. Fortunately for him, in the past days he learned to detect sincerity in someone’s voice, based on the conversations he had with Margaery but also with his memories of servants speaking about Cersei. Needless to say, there was no sincerity in his mother’s voice, only relief after being afraid of losing something.  Barely managing to keep his anger out of his expression, Tommen smiled at Cersei with obvious gratitude.

“I knew I could count on you mother, thank you”

Cersei was still internally cheering for being wrong in her feelings about Margaery’s influence on her last son. She was grateful Tommen was still a child in need of his mom, it would be so easy to manipulate him in order to rule from behind the Throne. That Tyrell whore failed miserably in her attempts to steal Tommen from her. Of course Margaery could not persuade him like she did with other men : Tommen was a boy with no interests yet in women, how could she seduce him ? In contrast, Cersei was much more skilled for persuasion, regardless of what was between her target’s legs. Shaking herself from her thoughts, she moved forward to hug Tommen and said :

“You always were my favorite, do you remember when we used to wander in the gardens late in the evening ?”

Tommen froze a few seconds : since they arrived at King’s Landing, they never did that; but Joffrey and her for sure did. Tommen remembered how jealous he was and how he wanted more than anything to go walk with his mother. He already was persuaded his mother was a liar and a manipulative person, now he was convinced of it too. Fearing he might show his true emotions, he stayed silent and nodded.

Confident in his answer, Cersei said : “As the Queen Regent, I will be the one putting the crown on your head and thereby renouncing of my title” she paused, trying to sound unaffected. “But if you want, you could give me the title back until you feel you can rule on your own”

She hoped her voice only showed compassion and helpfulness, even if she was persuaded Tommen would not see what she was doing by proposing this.

“Can I do that ? Giving such power to someone like that ?” Tommen asked, seemingly innocent but also really interested on the answer, a plan appearing spontaneously in his mind.

“Of course you can, you will be King of the Seven Kingdoms !” his mother said. She was celebrating her victory when Tommen said : “I will make Margaery sit as close as possible from us, so she can clearly see I like you better !”

Nothing that he could have said would have make Cersei feel so overjoyed. Tommen was naïve about her intentions but he was also great at humiliating people. Cersei thought she would never have dreamed of such a sweet vengeance, and even if she had thought about it, she would not have dared to suggest it to Tommen. Cersei could not approve too strongly this idea in order to preserve the hypocrisy of the marriage, so she only weakly disagreed :

“Are you sure you want to do that, Margaery will be your wife soon and from that moment, you will live with her until one of you dies, you may want to have an at least cordial relation.”

From now, Tommen would have to preserve his ‘mommy’s boy’ attitude with Cersei. In order to do that, he tried to look anxious and childish while answering Cersei.

“I know, but sometimes she scares me, she puts my arm on her body for me to feel her bosom and she won’t stop talking about our wedding night”

The only thing that was true in his sentence was that Margaery often took his arm to press it against her body. At first, Tommen was uneasy with it, but now he liked the warmth emanating from her. Margaery never talked about their wedding night since the day they learned about their wedding, and for that Tommen was grateful because he still was a bit afraid about this.

Of course, Cersei was tricked and believed him, too quick to forget about his attitude during the past few days.

“We will find a solution about that, don’t worry my beloved child” she whispered in his ear.

Tommen, afraid of losing his composure, quickly smiled and then proceeded to leave the room, pretending to go reluctantly talk with Margaery in order to invite her.

Tommen’s mind was buzzing. He could not focus, submerged in all the doubts and interrogations he had about the future. How will Cersei react when she will realize he tricked her ? Will she resist ? How will he get rid of her if she won’t go ? Will he have to put her in jail ?

He was hoping Margaery would help him handle the problems Cersei could pose. When he was far from his mother’s room, he let go of the sadness he felt upon discovering his mother true nature. Had she said the right things earlier, he probably would have turned his back on Margaery, but now, he felt inside him that she crossed a line in his heart and that he would never feel the same about her. Tommen knew it was the right thing to think, it still hurt and pained him.

Tommen felt like a young boy seeking for his mother so she could embrace him to make him feel safe and promise him things will get better. Alas, he had lost such person. It was at this moment, when he was about to be more depressed, that he felt someone pulling him in a hug. His head automatically rested on her shoulder as he recognized Margaery’s warmth. It provided him everything he was seeking and more. In her arms, Tommen felt his worries vanish and his sorrow fade away. For a brief moment, he wasn’t completely in this world, engulfed in Margaery’s tenderness.

A few moments before, Margaery was searching for Tommen, afraid by the length of his meeting that Cersei managed to manipulate him to do something horrible. She was fearing for her interests and was worried again she would not be able to control him. She was scheming new ways to persuade him of doing what she told him when she saw him. He was at the verge of tears, obviously devastated by something, his pain enhanced by the lack of someone to console him. Her thoughts flown away from her mind, she reached to hug him, properly pitying him but also wanting to soothe his sorrow. Remaining silent, Margaery thought about her opinion on Tommen.

At first, she considered him childish, naïve and easily gullible. Then, she discovered he was caring, considerate, sincere and determined to do what is right. She still thought he was sometimes childish and naïve, but now she knew it was because he wanted to see the better part of everything, and was decided she would do everything she could to help and protect him, because he deserved it.

“My mother is a liar and will do everything she can to keep the power. I can’t believe I didn’t understand it sooner” Tommen said, his head still resting on Margaery’s shoulder.

“Don’t blame yourself too much, it’s normal for a son to trust his mother” Margaery reassured him, finding herself to want that Tommen never stops believing in the others.

“I don’t know who trust anymore” Tommen started, raising his head to look at Margaery in the eyes, “Can I trust you Margaery ?” He hoped with all his heart that she would answer sincerely that he could, or else he felt like he could end his days.

Feeling the intensity of Tommen’s stare, Margaery gathered all her feelings for Tommen and said :

“You can trust me Tommen, for I will do anything I can to help you”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is nothing worse than having no one.
> 
> Please tell me what you thought about it ;)


	4. The Big Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day of the coronation arrives. Who knows what will happen, but it surely will change the fate of the Seven Kingdoms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the next chapter !

Fortunately for Margaery and Tommen, Margaery was sincere when she promised him he could count on her. His heart still aching because of Cersei’s betrayal, Tommen was nevertheless glad he found Margaery yesterday. He wondered if his burst of affection for Margaery was emphasized by the fact she promised to be at his side right after his mother broke his heart, but he quickly dismissed the idea : he truthfully liked his future wife. As he thought about this, Cersei entered the room where he was preparing for his coronation, holding a crown in her hands, the crown of the Seven Kingdoms still on her head. “This will be my crown as the Regent, “ she said, pointing at the crown in her hands. It was a beautiful crown, even if it did not had the aura of his future crown, with four sapphire incrusted like the cardinals points. “I have an idea,” Tommen started, his initial plan developing as he spoke, “what do you think about Margaery crowning you, so she can understand clearly who do I prefer ?” Tommen sincerely hoped his mother would not see what he intended to do, blinded by her desire to humiliate his future wife. Needless to say, Tommen knew his mother well and Cersei was to happy to approve his idea, already picturing the scene, especially Margaery’s face.

As they spoke, Tommen finished dressing and was ready to start the coronation ceremony.  Cersei greeted him and exited the room to prepare herself, the crown of the Seven Kingdoms on her head for the last time, Tommen thought.

Yesterday, when he asked Margaery to be at his side when he would be crowned, she radiantly smiled at him and thanked him for his thoughtfulness. He had not told her what he intended to do then, and now it was too late to tell her, so he braced himself and entered the throne room, two guards opening the heavy doors for him, much to his pleasure because he probably would have made a fool of himself had he tried to open them himself.

He stepped on the throne room, and every single conversation stopped, everyone looking at him. Tommen anxiously searched for Margaery and when he found her looking at him, he took a deep breath and resumed his walk to the throne, his pace steady and his head high. Cersei was sitting on the Iron Throne, her face expressionless for those who did not knew her well enough, which was not the case of Tommen who deciphered her expression and interpreted it as apprehension on whether her plan would work. He stopped in front of her, looking right into her eyes, and then kneeled, starting the ceremony.

Cersei rose, took the crown off from her head and began her address : “I, Cersei of House Baratheon and Lannister, First of her Name, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Lady of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm, solely crown Tommen of House Baratheon King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm, thereby renouncing all my titles.” At the last word of her speech, Cersei lifted the crown for everyone to see and then carefully, almost regretfully, put it on Tommen’s head, inviting him to stand.

Tommen slowly stood, bowed facing his mother, then turned around and bowed to all the people who came to see him, triggering applause and congratulations from the whole room. Tommen took time to wave and look at everyone in the room, ending by looking at Margaery, who was clapping and smiling, only to smile even wider when he looked at her.

When everyone calmed down, Tommen sat on the Iron Throne to hear the oath of allegiance of the Kingsguard. As the commander of the Kingsguard, his uncle Jaime was in front of the others, kneeling, his helmet next to him. “As the commander of the Kingsguard, I, Jamie of House Lannister, swear that the Kingsguard will always protect you and give everything it has to shield you from anything or anyone who will try to hurt you.” During his oath, Jaime was looking at Tommen right in the eyes, with an intensity that left to doubt on the sincerity of his words.  Telling them to stand, Tommen thanked them and assured them he trusted them and knew he could count on them.

 He then stood from the throne and declared : ‘As you may have noticed, I am young, and even if I may be smarter than you think, I will need help anyway, and to provide me help, I will now name the Queen.” When he finished speaking, he made a gesture to bring a smaller throne to place next to the Iron Throne, as well as the crown picked by Cersei resting on a cushion.

Taking a moment to brace himself for what would surely happen after he realized his plan, Tommen looked one more time at the audience gathered for him, hoping they will support him for what was coming. Again breathing deeply, Tommen turned to invite Margaery to step closer. Puzzled, Margaery joined Cersei on the step below Tommen. He was all eyes for Margaery, but Tommen could still see Cersei failing more and more to hide her smile. Cersei was about to kneel when the servant holding the cushion gave it to her. She looked at Tommen, completely taken aback, struggling to speak to ask him what was going on. Before she had the time to speak, Tommen made Margaery kneel and said “I, King Tommen of House Baratheon, First of His Name, King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm, now pronounce you, Margaery of House Tyrell, Regent of the Kingdom, you are to help me, your King, rule over the Seven Kingdoms with the best of your abilities to help and protect the people of the Realm. Do you accept to bear this burden ?” Margaery only managed to nod before Tommen took the crown carried by Cersei and placed it on her head. Holding his hand to help her stand, Tommen made her climb the step that separated them to present her as his equal, keeping her hand in his.

At first, the audience was silent, surprised and waiting to see Cersei’s reaction, but then Jaime and the Kingsguard started to applause and soon enough everyone except Cersei was cheering for the King and his Queen. To maintain her image, Cersei reluctantly clapped too, but there was no doubt she was not happy with how the ceremony went.

On the other hand, Margaery could not believe what had just happened. Sure, she would become the Queen so it was not abnormal to give her a few days before the powers she will have as such, but still, it was not necessary. On top of that, he apparently made Cersei believe she would be the Regent and revealed her the truth at the last moment, in front of a large audience and holding the cushion where rested the crown she thought would be hers. It was clear that anyone in the room understood was happened in front of them.

To be honest with herself, Margaery was frightened by the way Tommen humiliated his own mother, one of the most powerful person in the realm, and felt a chill down her spine thinking about what he could do if she betrayed him. She thought about what he said about being smarter than you may think, and had to agree everyone including her underestimated him. He could appear as a lost and naïve child but Margaery suspected he was capable of more than he let on.

Yesterday she promised herself she would protect him and help him because she cared for him, today she promised herself she would never plot against him because of she feared him, and the look he had while humiliating his mother.

She was pulled from her thoughts by Tommen whispering in her ear ; “I am sorry I didn’t told you, I did not had time to do it, I hope it’s okay” Still shocked by his harsh attitude towards his mother, Margaery took time to answer. “I am very glad you trusted me enough to give me such power without being forced to by our wedding.” She reassured him, getting closer to him, their bodies linked.

Jaime Lannister was surprised, to say the least. He had noticed the way Margaery looked at Tommen change, at first she seemed only interested by the power Tommen could give her and slowly, as he followed the two wander in the gardens to assure their safety, he was pleased to see that Margaery’s feelings for Tommen slowly starting to mirror Tommen’s feelings for her. He was of course aware of what his sister intended to do, or more precisely, what she did not intended to do : give up her throne.  The evening before the coronation, he had trouble following when Tommen stormed out of his meeting with Cersei, partly because Tommen ran and Jaime did not want to be noticed by running behind, but also because Jaime entered the room Tommen had just left to seek the reason of such haste to leave. When he saw his sister’s satisfied face, the one she has when she enjoys manipulating someone, he had an idea about it, and also assumed Tommen did not let his true emotions appear. After that, he quickly went to the gardens, hoping to find Tommen, only to lay eyes on him as the very moment Margaery embraced Tommen. At this moment, Jaime knew by looking at Margaery’s face that Tommen could count on her. He also enjoyed to see that Cersei was completely wrong about Tommen’s feelings, as much towards Margaery than towards herself.

While he swore to protect Tommen as the commander of the Kingsguard, Jaime could not help but think he will have to keep an eye on Cersei, and that saddened him. Yet he knew he would not hesitate if he had to choose between Tommen and Cersei, his nephew winning everytime.

As Tommen crowned Margaery and made her stand beside him, Jaime realized he will have to choose sooner than he imagined, but the sight of the royal couple persuaded him it was worth the trouble.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If someone really is happy about the update, you should thank boredom.


	5. The plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I noticed I mispelled Jaime each time but I did not correct it.

Cersei could not believe what just happened. Tommen, her little boy, lied to her and plotted against her in order to humiliate her in front of everyone _. And why did he do that ? For Margaery kind eyes ? What a stupid little boy,_ she thought _, that Tyrell whore is as greedy as I am, but she tricked him to believe she cared for him._ Worse than the humiliation, Jamie was the one who started clapping for the royal couple. Sure he is a Kingsguard but still, he did not have to. Cersei took a deep breath and tried to regain composure. She needed to think of a way to recover her power and her honor. Decided to get her revenge on Margaery, she sought Tommen to try to convince him he made a mistake.

On her way, she came across Jamie, who had the audacity to clap to celebrate her demise.

“Hello sweet sister, how do you feel ?” her brother politely inquired, “our little boy behaved bravely don’t you think ?”

Cersei, trying to suppress her resent towards him, answered quickly “I am not sure if it was courage or stupidity but I intend to make him realize who this whore really is” and continued to walk without waiting for Jamie’s answer. The latter looked at his beloved sister, sighing at the thought of her obliviousness. Just before she left his field of view, he said “Don’t underestimate him, you could be surprised”, but he was not sure she heard him.

Cersei did heard him, but she did not care about his opinion, trapped by her anger at losing her grip on the realm in front of everyone.

Margaery and Tommen were sitting in the gardens, in a place where they could see King’s Landing in its entirety, the sound of the inhabitants of King’s Landing sometimes reaching their ears. They went there right after the ceremony because Margaery wanted to talk about what happened.

“Although I am glad you made that, I am not sure it was a good idea to humiliate your mother like that” Margaery confessed, mainly concerned about what could happen to Tommen if Cersei tried to get back at him.

“Don’t worry, I expect my mother to try to get revenge and would be disappointed if she did not tried to” Tommen confidently answered, smiling at Margaery to reassure her.

Not fully convinced yet trusting Tommen, Margaery relaxed a little bit and rested her head on Tommen’s shoulder, embracing him with her arms.

Tommen was not completely sure if his plan would work, but he counted on his mother to unknowingly help him realize it. They were quietly enjoying eachother presence when Tommen heard footsteps coming. Standing up, Tommen turned around and was not surprised to see Cersei in front of him. She had a fake smile plastered on her face and asked as politely as she could to speak with Tommen in private. Gesturing at Margaery to reassure her, Tommen invited Cersei to walk with him in the gardens.

Wanting to appear naïve and childish, Tommen started the conversation “Sorry mother for what happened earlier, I wanted to tell you but I was afraid you might try to stop me”, Cersei, jumping on the opportunity to appear caring, answered “It’s alright my son, I’m sure you had a good reason to do so”. Smiling at the predictable answer, Tommen continued his plan “You see, I am truly deeply in love with Margaery and she asked me to name her Regent, so I could not refuse”. Of course, only the first part of the sentence was true, naming his future wife Regent being his idea.

“I can’t blame you for that, I know what it is to be in love, you’ d do anything you could to please” Cersei said, thinking everything was going as planned, “but as your mother, I must warn you, Margaery’s intentions are not pure, she only wants the power and doesn’t care for you”

Tommen struggled to avoid laughing at his mother boldness, instead gasping like he was shocked to keep the impression he was naïve. “You think so ? She seemed so sincere when she said she loved me, I can’t believe she was lying !”

“I am sorry my beloved son, I know this kind of women, they lie as they breath believe me” Cersei said, stopping and embracing Tommen. “What should I do then mother ?” Tommen asked with a childish tone, hoping to encourage his mother’s boldness and to lead her to do something wrong.

Cersei looked at him, taking a moment to breath before saying something risky, Jamie’s advice crossing her mind as she thought about Tommen, wondering  if he was right. After all, what if Tommen was manipulating her ? What if it was his plan to name Margaery as the Regent ? Now that she thought about it, she seemed sincerely surprised when he announced it, could she really act like that ? She decided she could not risk saying something that could be turned against her and instead only said : “I don’t know, but I promise I will find something”

Tommen saw Cersei change of mind in her eyes. Right after he asked her what he should do, she was ready to give a response that could be used against her. But then, he saw doubt appear in her eyes and in her mind and finally she answered vaguely. He was still convinced she only needed a little push in the right direction and started to think about what he could do or say. Surprised by the unexpected response, Tommen walked away from his mother.

A few days passed without major interactions between Tommen and Cersei, both trying to figure what to do next. Tommen spent time with Margaery, discussing about what was best for the kingdom but also chatting and getting closer. As their wedding day approached, Tommen developed a plan to expose his mother for the manipulative and greedy woman she was.

Remembering his initial anxiety about the bedding ceremony, Tommen figured it might be a good way to appear childish again in the eyes of his mother. In fact, Margaery reassured him about it and made him confident about how things would go that night. He was no longer terrified about the idea of being intimate with Margaery and felt more confident than ever about the future. After all, she was a beautiful woman with a body that he desired to see entirely everyday a little more. She empowered him and slowly helps him become a man.

The few times Cersei saw Tommen and Margaery together made her glad she did not say what she intended the other day, because they seemed to sincerely care for each other and when Tommen noticed his mother, for an instant he would look at her like she was his prey, sending a shiver down her spine each time. After the coronation day, she started to realize it would be harder than she thought to get revenge and be the powerful woman she once was. She could surely get rid of Margaery, but Tommen would never forgive her and she did not want to know what he would do. She needed to regain Tommen’s trust. The easiest way to do that was to destroy the trust he had in Margaery, but she needed to find a way to do so without him knowing she was the one behind that.

Just as she was thinking about how to destroy her last son’s opinion on Margaery, Tommen greeted her, joining her outside where she stood. “Good morning mother, I was hoping we could speak in private” Tommen started, seemingly anxious. Tommen did not knew it, but he arrived at the right moment, just as his mother was deep into scheming, her worries about him being not so naïve silenced by her desire of revenge. So, when he stepped in near her, speaking with the same voice he used to have when he wanted her to hug him, Cersei did not hesitate to guide him where no one could hear nor see them, thanking the gods for giving her such an opportunity.

Keeping his act, Tommen barely waited before speaking again, blurting out : “ I am worried about the bedding ceremony, I don’t want to do it, she scares me”.

Overwhelmed by the joy she felt for being right about his fear for the bedding part, Cersei instantly fell into the role of a caring mother, reaching out to hug him and whispering reassuring words near his ear. “Don’t worry my child, I will find a way to avoid this moment to happen, I will discuss it with Margaery, but don’t worry, I won’t tell her you’re scared” Tommen nodded against his mother shoulder, completely in his role of a defenseless child.

Freeing himself from his mother embrace, Tommen straightened up and said “ I need to go, otherwise Margaery may grow suspicious. Thank you for your help mother”. Walking away, Tommen tried as best as he could to seem reluctant to leave his mother.

As he left, Cersei thought it would be an easy thing to do to convince Margaery to delay the bedding as she was persuaded Margaery was manipulating him and would not care if he did not took her right away. Moreover, Cersei knew of reliable sources that the Tyrell whore lost her maidenhead a couple years ago, so anyone suspicious could not find a proof that the bedding ceremony did not completely occurred.

 _Finally, this day ends way better than I imagined_ she thought.

When he left Cersei field of view, Tommen’s pace changed, becoming more determined and assured, his face morphing into a pleased grin and his heartbeat quickening at the thought of informing Margaery of his success.


	6. I have a plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Margaery executes her part in Tommen's plan to further disgrace his mother.

When a servant entered Margaery’s chambers, informing her that Cersei wanted to see her, she dutifully followed her, like a soon-to-be daughter in law would. As they made their way to Cersei, Margaery allowed herself to get lost in her thoughts, and more precisely, in the joy she felt when Tommen explained the plan he had prepared to disgrace his mother in front of everyone.  
The plan was simple : he would play the role of a frightened little boy afraid of getting intimate with a woman and ask his mother to help him avoid the bedding ceremony. Cersei, too happy to be presented her way back into power, would not have second thoughts and surely try to make a deal with Margaery, who still is a power greedy whore in her eyes, only for her to then accuse Margaery of fornication and reveal Margaery was not a maiden before her wedding with prince Tommen. Thinking of what would happen at this part of the plan, Margaery was grinning, and so when she arrived in front of Cersei solar, she was still smiling, which could help her with her conservation.  
“Good morning Margaery, thank you for coming” Cersei started, keeping a friendly tone, “there is something I wanted to discuss with you”, she added. Margaery, in order to appear eager to please her future mother-in-law, nodded to encourage Cersei to keep talking. “You see, my dear son Tommen is almost a grown man, alas he is still shy like a young boy on few subjects” Cersei said, seemingly chatting lightheartedly. Margaery, not one to miss an opportunity to fool the former Queen, was quick to respond “Yes, I see what you mean, he truly is a young boy sometimes, and yet I am sure he will be a great King”. She wanted to make Cersei feel like they could trust each other, both in the confidence of the personality of Tommen. And she succeeded, Cersei felt confirmed in her opinion about the young woman in front of her, and it filled her with arrogance and disdain : Margaery clearly was trying to be like her. Emboldened by her apparent victory, Cersei decided to stop dodging the subject and go straight to the point :“Well, it pleases me to hear that we are on the same page about Tommen, it will surely help you understand what I am going to ask you.” They locked eyes during the sentence, both looking for hesitation in each other’s eyes. Pausing to seem hesitant, Cersei added : “Tommen went to find me, he is afraid of the bedding ceremony and would be pleased if you could skip the sex part and pretend it happened”. Margaery tried to look like it did not surprise her that Tommen was afraid of sex because she considered him like a little boy, and if Cersei’s face was any indication about her feelings, it worked. “Well you know, I was expecting you to say that, I had the feeling Tommen wanted to avoid the bedding ceremony.” Margaery said, to further persuade Cersei that they thought the same things about the golden-haired boy. “My dear, I know from reliable sources that it won’t be too complicated to make everyone believe Tommen and you consummated your wedding” Cersei said, with a knowing smile, persuaded Margaery was not a maiden anymore. To her discharge, Margaery spread the rumor herself to diminish the risk of getting wed to somebody who did not loved her. Her strategy failed to avoid her wedding with Joffrey, but thankfully the moron was poisoned. “I see you are well informed, it will indeed be really easy to fake the loss of my maidenhood.” Margaery agreed, reciprocating Cersei’ smile. Despite her perfect impression of a manipulative bitch, Margaery could not stand staying longer in the presence of Cersei. Margaery politely excused herself: “If you may excuse me, I need to see my future husband”. And without further ado, she left. Who could have predicted I would so desperately want to protect Tommen and sincerely help him rule, without trying to control him ? She felt sorry for Tommen to have such an odious mother, who on top of that, did not care about him until he became the King of the Seven Kingdoms.  
At the same moment, Cersei was gleefully drinking wine, satisfied with herself and persuaded she would be back on the throne soon. She thought back of her hesitation about Margaery, how she thought maybe Tommen had grown up and would not be so easily manipulated, how he might have fallen in love with the Tyrell bitch, but everything was past now, her doubts vanished and were replaced with the joy of getting her power back.  
Tommen was sparring with Jamie, wanting to be able to defend himself but also to be a valuable fighter on the battlefield. He always loved his uncle Jamie, he felt more alike with him than with Robert, his father. Somedays, Tommen would wonder how Jamie and Cersei could be twins, because in his eyes they were so different, Jamie was rightful, loyal and kind, whereas his mother was deceitful, manipulative and full of hypocrisy. He had managed to make Jamie lose grip on his sword when Margaery entered the courtyard where they were training. He greeted her, smiling radiantly and then returned to train against Jamie.  
Jamie studied Margaery’s face when Tommen noticed her, and he knew she was not playing any of his sister’s game with him. She truly cared for him, and Jamie could not deny, nor could anyone who saw them when they thought they were alone. Jamie was unaware of Tommen’s scheming, but he felt like his king was planning something, and Jamie could have sworn it was against Cersei. He would have to tell Cersei to be careful before she does something she would regret. Tommen was now a force to be reckoned, and Cersei seemed to struggle understanding that, even after the crowning fiasco, when everyone saw where Tommen’s heart was. He heard Tommen apologize for that, but while it was obvious to him his nephew was lying, Cersei did not seem to think the same. Lost in his thoughts, Jamie was less focused on his sparring and suddenly he found himself knocked on the ground by Tommen, a wooden sword on his throat.  
“Dear uncle, are you getting old ?” Tommen taunted, “or is it something on your mind ?”. Standing up, Jamie realized Tommen inherited his mother’s talent to read people, but also his father’s gift for fighting. “My king, it appears I did not follow the basic rule I keep repeating : stay focused” Jamie said, brushing the dust on his clothes. ” Anyways, I think my Queen wants to talk to you, the lesson is over.”, Jamie said, grabbing the wooden swords and leaving the courtyard.  
Watching Jamie leave with the satisfaction of knocking him on the ground, Tommen then turned to seek Margaery, who was sitting on a bench nearby. “I am sorry, it is not a proper attire to wear next to a lady, I am dirty and smell terrible, it would be my pleasure if you accompanied me to my chambers where I could bathe and change clothes”, and as he spoke, he offered his hand for her to stand, which she eagerly grabbed. During the time they were walking, neither Tommen nor Margaery spoke, both simply enjoying each other presence next to them. When they arrived, Tommen quickly disrobed, hidden from Margaery’s sight, and then entered the bathtub his servants filled with hot water perfumed with oils.  
Margaery quietly dismissed his servants, assuring them she would make sure he is properly washed and scrubbed, and grabbed a washcloth. Approaching Tommen, she started to clean his skin from the dirt and the sweat, smoothly rubbing his muscles to help Tommen relax.  
“Your mother said you didn’t want to do the bedding ceremony because you were afraid.” Margaery said, breaking the silence and hoping it would surprise him to hear her voice. “I know, I asked her to do so.” Tommen answered, not surprised at all to hear Margaery, “you see, the idea of you seeing me naked terrifies me very much.” He added playfully. Moving to see his face, Margaery beamed at him, “How did you know it was me and not one of your servants ?”. Rolling his eyes, Tommen sighed, faking exasperation : “I recognized the softness of your skin” he started, taking Margaery’s hands in his, “And I usually wash myself.” He added with a smug grin. Margaery was speechless for a moment, then smiled at him : “I’m delighted to hear you don’t let anybody touch your skin and very honored you allow me to do so, my King”.


	7. I am hers, and she is mine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here it is, the first part of the wedding. I used bits from the books for the septon's speech, I barely modified them so all credits goes to G.R.R Martin.
> 
> I hope you will enjoy it

_The day of the wedding is finally here_ Tommen thought _. I must be careful not to raise mother’s suspicion, otherwise my plan will fall apart_. While he was thinking about what he had planned for his mother, servants rushed around him to prepare everything for the ceremony. He had not seen Margaery since the day before and was as eager to see her as he was to see his plan unravel. Just as he was trying to picture his mother’s face when she realized he tricked her again, Cersei walked in the room where he was standing while a servant finished the fitting of his attire. She was wearing a black dress which fitted her perfectly, although it was in no way fit for the occasion and would make people think she was not happy to see her son getting married. Sure, one could say mothers tend to be sad when their last boy becomes a man, but it still was not a valid reason to wear black at a wedding, a royal one on top of that. _She surely did that to irritate me_ , Tommen assumed, _but the Seven know I could hardly care less._

“Good day my son, I am glad to see you are almost ready, everyone is already seated.” Cersei said, moving to stand in front of him, since he could not yet move without ruining his attire.  “Don’t worry for the bedding ceremony, I talked with Margaery, you won’t do anything you don’t want.” She added to see if he was still afraid of being intimate with a woman. The memory of the coronation humiliation was rooted deep into her mind and she did not want to go through an episode like that. To make things worse, Tommen and Margaery seemed very close, and Cersei started to wonder if Margaery was as much sincere in her feelings as Tommen was. Realizing she stood still without talking, Cersei quickly recovered her spirits, hoping Tommen did not notice her worry. “Are you nervous ?” she inquired, to divert the attention.

Of course, Tommen easily understood his mother’s silence, but he neither said or did something revealing he saw right through his mother.  “A little, I don’t wish to suffer the same fate than Joffrey.“ He admitted, the fear of someone poisoning him rooted deep inside his brain, despite being convinced he did nothing that could antagonize someone to the point of making them want to see him dead, where Joffrey had countless enemies. _Mother would never kill me, Margaery being the Regent, it would be stupid._ Tommen tried to reassure himself, not fully convinced, almost regretting plotting against his mother.

Despite being an excellent plotter, Cersei wanted to believe she could still manipulate Tommen, that he had not completely shed off his juvenile naivety, so she interpreted Tommen not reacting to the bedding ceremony part as a proof he felt insecure and rejoiced in the idea. She was so pleased, she did not think of the other plausible explanations. “Don’t worry, I will make sure nothing you don’t want happens to you.” Cersei murmured, satisfied with the possible double meaning of her phrasing.

During their exchange, Tommen’s outfit preparation was completed, and Cersei wanted to get this wedding done in order to her plan to start. Offering her arm for Tommen to grab, she said “Shall we go ? You surely are eagerly expected out there.” Without further ado, Tommen took the extended arm and stepped down from where he was standing while the servants worked and started leading his mother outside where the celebration was about to take place.

Tommen just got to the altar when he turned around and noticed Margaery walking towards him with her father escorting her. She was wearing a light-colored sleeveless dress and the Tyrell cloak was resting on her shoulders, the shades of green matching perfectly; her hair styled the same way as for her almost-wedding with Joffrey. His heart skipped a beat then resumed, lighter and calmer. Saying she was breathtaking was an understatement for Tommen. He felt like there was nothing that he would not do just to be able to look at Margaery for a few seconds. Tommen was now convinced he could endlessly endure the sight of Joffrey dying just to be the lucky one who would share Margaery’s life.

Cersei sneered when she saw Margaery, judging her dress too common and similar to those worn by whores and women without virtue. She hated that Margaery lit up when she saw Tommen; _I must admit she knows how to act smitten_ , Cersei persuaded herself. She hated that every gaze slid on her like she was not there; _these peasants were not this happy for Joffrey_ , she bitterly realized. To say it mildly, the former Queen and most powerful person of the realm was infuriated that she was now nothing more than a mother leading her son to the altar.

Her mind clouded by her thoughts, Cersei did not realize Margaery was now standing beside Tommen until the High Septon started to speak.

" The Seven is a single deity with seven aspects, each representing a different area of life. We ask the Father to judge us with mercy, accepting our human frailty. We ask the Mother to bless our crops, so that we may feed ourselves and all who come to our door. We ask the Warrior to give us courage, in these days of strife and turmoil. We ask the Maiden to protect the maiden’s virtue, to keep her from the clutches of depravity. We ask the Smith to strengthen our hands and our backs so we may finish the work required of us. We ask the Crone to guide us on our journey from darkness to darkness."

Cersei could not decide whether the way Tommen and Margaery looked at each other or the length of the septon’s speech was the worst part. Trying to maintain appearances, she straightened up and braced herself.

"May the Warrior grant them courage and protect them in these dark times. May the Smith grant them strength. And may the Crone, she that knows the fate of all men, show them the path they must walk and guide them through the dark places that lie ahead." The High Septon ended, gesturing to Mace Tyrell to remove his daughter’s cloak. Not wasting time, Tommen quickly removed his creme-colored cloak and put it around his very soon-to-be wife. Quickly glancing at the septon for confirmation, Tommen and Margaery kissed and; speaking clearly and loud enough for everyone to hear : “With this kiss I pledge my love.” The High Septon barely had the time to declare them man and wife before the audience started clapping joyfully and the musicians started playing.

Pulling Margaery close to him, Tommen whispered, his lips grazing her ear “I love you.” In a breath, Margaery murmured “Me too.”


	8. I hope my wedding isn't purple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second part of the wedding, where some discussions happen and where Olenna Tyrell make her first appearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello !   
> I had a week free of classes in order to prepare my exams, so I obviously had time to write a chapter.  
> Same as usual, I hope you enjoy reading this part !

A few minutes after the end of the wedding ceremony, when the cheering diminished enough for Tommen to be heard without having to force too much on his voice, he stood up, the musicians stopped playing and everyone turned to look at Margaery and him. “Firstly, I want to sincerely thank every one of you for coming today, I am deeply honored to see how much you enjoy yourselves. Secondly, I wanted to swear one more time to protect you with the best of my abilities and to do what is right for you, my people.” He turned to look at Margaery, who for his eyes was radiating beauty and serenity, and resumed his speech. “Lastly, I want to say, in front of this audience, for all of you to witness, that I love Margaery Baratheon and the idea of sharing the rest of my life with her fills me with an unending amount of joy.” The crowd started cheering loudly, and Tommen thought they could not be more excited, until Margaery stood up and kissed him, taking his head in her hands.

Margaery and Tommen stood, basking in the raw happiness they felt and waving at everyone applauding to show their endorsement to the newlywed couple. They only got to sit down when the dishes were brought on the tables, a variety of meals that Tommen never tasted nor heard of. As the feast went, Tommen grew more and more anxious, the gnawing fear of being poisoned like his brother in his mind. He turned to share his sorrow with Margaery, but she was talking with her grandmother Olenna Tyrell, so he slumped back into his chair and absentmindedly chewed on a piece of chicken.

Her grandmother requested her presence a few minutes ago but Margaery felt like it was hours. “I see the King is smitten, good job my dear daughter, you seduced him in a blink of an eye. I don’t think we will have trouble making him agree to all of our requests.” Margaery nodded, _of course he would do anything I asked him to, he is so kind and gentle_ , she thought before answering to her grandmother: “Yes, Tommen said he loved me, I think I could ask him anything and he would go out of his way to please me.” What she did not say was that she was unsure whereas she would not do the same if he asked her something, she knew better than to admit weakness in front of Olenna, especially if it involved romantic feelings.

“Good,” the older woman said, “I would hate to kill him too, I already had enough trouble for his brother, despite the fact no one really liked the little brat, and I don’t want to imagine how it would be difficult to convince anyone to plot against Tommen.”. Of course, Margaery knew the mastermind behind Joffrey’s death was Olenna, but still, the vocal confirmation sent a shiver down her spine, her treacherous mind replacing Joffrey’s face with Tommen’s, forcing her to imagine the possibility. Gathering her spirits, Margaery excused herself from her grandmother and got back to her seat, hoping to talk with Tommen but she refrained herself when she noticed he was already speaking with his uncle Jaime. She did not have time to brood over the lack of her husband because Jaime saw her coming and ended his conversation with Tommen, congratulating him and wishing them to live side by side for a long time.

Tommen noticed Margaery, or more precisely the heat of her presence, and moved to face her.

“I am afraid to eat, I don’t want to end like Joffrey.”, he blurted out, finally being able to tell someone about it. Understanding his trouble, Margaery moved her chair to sit closer from him and put a hand on his left hand, the closest from her. “Don’t worry, no one wants your death, everyone already knows you will be a good king. Your coronation made King’s Landing shops do more benefits, only because the commoners were happy, so they bought more foods, more clothes and everyone, merchant, farmer, baker, won more gold. “; even if she had the same fear, Margaery did not let it taint her voice and she managed to speak reassuringly and softly, far from the way she was thinking. She succeeded in her attempt to make Tommen feel better, and he quickly sat straighter on his chair, revigorated by her words. The fact she could manipulate him was obvious, she had no doubt about that. The only problem remaining was to know if she wanted to manipulate him. Afterall, Margaery always thought loving someone was giving them all the tools for them to hurt you, and that is exactly what Tommen did, he showed her how to affect him, what to say and how to say it. It was her plan all along, to learn Tommen’s weaknesses, what she did not plan was that in the process of doing so, he would become one of hers.

She remembers thinking Tommen was pathetic for being kind, then she realized he was kind to everyone until they angered him. She assumed he was weak and then she heard him sentence to death a soldier accused of raping the women among the defeated armies without faltering, deaf to all those who tried to discharge him because “a soldier’s life is hard, and we must tolerate such things”. More importantly, she used to see him like a little boy and he treated her like no man did, like she was more than a pretty face and her ability to carry children. Margaery decided that if she ever had between obeying her power-greedy grandmother and making Tommen happy, she would not hesitate to disobey Olenna.

While she got lost in her thoughts, comedians approached the main table and started a play Tommen seemed to enjoy. She intended to watch it too when Cersei gestured for Margaery to come over. Deciding she had no reasons to further irritate the former Queen, Margaery complied.

“It is a nice wedding, congratulations my child, now I am sure Tommen must be eager to get to the bedding part, am I right?’, Cersei began, her tone betraying her sarcasm. Not missing a beat, Margaery responded “You know, I think it will happen sooner or later, who cares if it is tonight or in a few weeks, no one could tell anyways”. Cersei chuckled, playing the part of a woman gossiping with another and smugly thinking it would be easy to get her place back. She started to think of the way she will reveal to the court that the bedding ceremony did not completely happened, and that Margaery had already lost her maidenhood anyway, how she would stand upon all those who stopped being on her side from the moment she lost power and make them all pay for their crimes.

Margaery, noticing Cersei was deep in her thoughts, decided she wanted to get back to her place and watch the rest of the festivities with Tommen. The feast was about to end, and everyone was ready to leave when Tommen announced he was leading his wife to their chambers and forbid anyone to try to disrobe him or his wife. Some protests were heard but only for good measure and they began to walk alone side by side to their chambers. They walked silently, holding hands, and despite being familiar with each other's contact, the two of them were overcome with an unusual shyness that they tried to suppress.

Margaery watched the corridor to see if anyone had followed them, then closed the door and turned to look at a very anxious Tommen. “Are you sure it is what you want?”, she said, holding his hands in hers.

“Yes.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think about Olenna in the show ? When I wrote this chapter I thought back about her and I am not so sure she was a nice person.


	9. First Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommen takes his first major political decision as King.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just finished my exams !

As he laid awake on his bed, Margaery asleep right beside him, Tommen thought about the morning of his eighth nameday, when he woke up feeling wholehearted and happy. With a sigh, he dismissed the sad realization it might have been the last truly happy memory he had, until Margaery became his betrothed. The hollow truth of his mother’s manipulative side failed in clouding the last few weeks he spent getting to know Margaery. He already knew she was good-looking, but he discovered under her appearance of coldness and indifference, Margaery was also a kindhearted person that despised the eternal atmosphere of suspicions and plotting in King’s Landing. Of course, he had heard servants talking, saying mean things about her manipulating him, but Tommen paid them to attention. He prided himself in being the only person besides herself who knew the true her. _Margaery might have taken part in plots or even plotted herself against someone in the court, but she only did it to protect herself_ , Tommen said to himself.

Turning to look at Margaery, Tommen felt like nothing could ever be more perfect than that. _Nothing the Seven could ever offer me could be better_ , despite truly meaning it, Tommen would never say it out loud. At the same moment Tommen was wondering if he could ever leave a room where Margaery was sleeping, someone knocked on the door. Standing up as fast as he could, putting on clothes to be more decent, Tommen reached the door and opened it, only to find a septon waiting.

“What is it septon?”, Tommen asked aggressively, as he feared the knock woke up Margaery.

The septon, first taken aback by the unusual tone, quickly recovered his spirits and said “Well, your Highness, I need to make sure the bedding happened.”

He tried to be convincing without being disrespectful, and thought he did a good job, but Tommen’s stared at him menacingly, and before the septon could utter a word, his King commanded “I can assure you everything that should happen during a bedding ceremony happened. Now as my wife, your Queen, is currently asleep, I won’t allow neither you nor anyone else to enter the room. You may leave.”

The septon, once more surprised to hear Tommen speak this way and not pious enough to irritate his King, promptly walked away from the royal chamber.

Tommen watched the septon leave, the adrenaline rush he felt quickly subsiding from his organism. He was lost in his thoughts about the bedding ceremony when he felt Margaery’s hand on his shoulder and her soft breath on his other side. “That was very kind of you to try to protect my slumber, alas the knock on the door woke me up.” She murmured in his ear, dragging him in the room in order to close the door. “It was pleasant last night, I hope we can share more moments like that in the future.” Margaery confessed, a soft smile on her lips.

Tommen could not believe Margaery was more beautiful wearing her night robe than wearing the sumptuous dress she was wearing yesterday. It was way looser than her wedding dress, it showed less skin and hid her figure but still, he found her gorgeous and told her so: “I love the way you look this morning, even more than when you wore your wedding dress.”

Margaery looked down at her attire, self-conscious, and slid a hand down the fabric. “Thank you, I like it too because it is way more comfortable.”, she admitted.

“I will find a way for you to wear comfortable clothes every day without anyone being able to say anything.”, Tommen said, like a child who made a promise to always be nice. Margaery had an idea about the way he could allow her to wear looser clothes, but she was unsure about Tommen’s reaction if she told him.

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“The King didn’t allow me to enter their chambers, my Lady.”, the septon said to Cersei. She sent him to see if he could bring back evidences the wedding was not consummated, but she did not planned Tommen would not permit him to enter. “It’s fine, I will try to convince the servant who will clean their bed to give me something, like a stained tissue.”, Cersei sighed, already giving up on the useless septon. She then tried to find a servant who would still be loyal to her and convince her to bring back the drapes _. It will be so easy after that to impeach the whore_ , Cersei sneered. On her way, she stumbled across Jaime, who was guarding the corridor leading to the royal chambers. Jaime greeted her “Good day dear sister.”, she responded quickly and then inquired “Did a servant already come to clean the room?”. Jaime furrowed his brows, suspicious about the question, but answered nonetheless “No, I didn’t saw anyone this morning except a septon, but Tommen did not allow him to enter.”. Seeing the satisfied expression on his sister’s face, Jaime wondered “Why do you want to know about such things? Is it one of your plans again?”. Irritated by his nosiness, Cersei snapped back “What I am sure is that it is none of your business.”, and with that she turned around and left. Watching her leave, Jaime wished she would not do something stupid, since he cared about her a lot.

Like they waited for her to leave, Tommen and Margaery exited their chambers, wearing simple clothes they found in the room, and aimed to go eat something. As a Kingsguard, Jaime followed them, a few steps behind to give them some privacy, even though they did not seem to mind him.

“What do you think about the Faith of the Seven, I feel like they are too involved in the court and in the politics, don’t you?”, Tommen asked as soon as they left their room, now more King than husband. “I noticed that too. I don’t mind them as religious, but rather because they interfere with decisions in the throne room.”, Margaery analyzed, wanting to give him her honest insight about it. “I should try a way to distance them from political power, I hope it is not too late.” Tommen concluded, aware of the influence the religious leaders had on the noble of King’s Landing. They continued exchanging on matters of the court on their way and only stopped to eat something, since they did not get to truly eat during their wedding and were currently starving.

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For the first audience he would give as a married King, Tommen wanted to make a good impression, and so he was currently doing the best he could to appear regal and composed, despite feeling bored. When the last request had been answered, Tommen stood up from the Iron Throne and declared: “The Seven should be respected and we must do our best to please them and to live according to their rules. I would never do something the Seven might disapprove, I swear it. Nevertheless, the presence of septons and septas, welcomed in the everyday life of the court, is not necessary during audience and councils. Religion should not interfere in political decisions, and political decisions should not impact religions, unless religions are hurting the people. For these reasons, the court and the council will not tolerate religious representatives, unless they seek audience from me in front of everyone, like anyone who wants to speak to me must. The audience is now dismissed.”. When he ended his speech, Tommen sat on the Iron Throne, to remind he was the King and that his statement is not debatable anymore.

He thought it would send a strong enough message, but the High Septon came to see him, nonetheless. “Your Grace, may I suggest you to reconsider your decision? Don’t you want the advices and point of view of the Seven Gods anymore?”, the old man spoke, not wasting time.

“My decision is not to be discussed, it is to be respected. If in the future, me or any member of the council feels they need your help, I can assure you we will ask for your guidance. I’m only separating two important subjects to help them both fulfill their true goal.” Tommen stated, using the most authoritative voice he had.

Understanding he could not make him change his mind, the High Septon left, much to Tommen’s pleasure, who could not bear to sit on the Iron Throne any longer.

In the meantime, Cersei, unaware of Tommen’s declaration, was jubilating. She managed to persuade some servant to give her the sheets of Margaery and Tommen’s bed, and the fabric was spotless, only crumpled _. They truly did not consummate their union!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next update will be following soon (I hope.)


	10. The confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cersei reveals her plans, Margaery has the perfect comeback

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year !

During the weeks following the wedding, Cersei started plotting against Margaery, and against Tommen inevitably. At first, she intended to try and protect Tommen the best she could, but then he asked, very politely of course, that she no longer attended to the small council meetings, given the fact there was no reason for her to be part of it since she was not the Regent anymore. She tried to offer her expertise as counselor but Tommen waved off her offer, assuring her that the counselors he had were more experienced than her in their domain. Cersei was still fuming days after that, furious that the boy she thought she could manipulate turned out to be a dangerous threat to her while managing to keep a composed face and the approval of everyone.

Well fortunately for her, not everyone, as he irritated the priests of the Seven Gods by forbidding them to participate to the private councils. Thanks to that, she did not had trouble finding people to help her plan her strategy aimed to nullify the wedding on the proof it was not consummated. On top of that, it was easy to convince her allies that Margaery already lost her maidenhood before her wedding. Even if the newlywed Tyrell never directly caused harm to the Faith of the Seven, its priests often disapproved her way of dressing, judging it too provocative and sinful. Cersei thought they only disliked it because of their lack of sexual release, but she kept this to herself.

Her plan was simple : she would ask for a public audience and bring the sheets used during the bedding ceremony as a proof Tommen and Margaery did not lay together. She would then explain Margaery was a sinful woman who already lost her maidenhood before her wedding, and that the fact that the Faith of the Seven priests were expulsed from private councils was her idea. With the obvious help of the court present this day, she would then ask for the annulment of the wedding and the imprisonment of Margaery, as well as the loss of her Regent title. She did not doubt it would work and was thrilled at the idea of recovering her rightful title and status.

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Now that they were husband and wife, Tommen and Margaery spent almost the entirety of their day together. Tommen was still not used to waking up next to Margaery, every morning feeling her warmth and thinking he was the luckiest man ever. His feelings towards her were everyday stronger and more certain : he loved her and would continue to do so until his last breath. He sincerely felt he could not have wished for someone like Margaery, his pessimistic old self would not have dared to hope for so much happiness to be brought into his life.

Although he spent the entirety of his days thinking about Margaery or talking with her, Tommen was not blind to his mother’s strange behavior. He asked for a servant to discretely spy on her since he discovered the sheets from the wedding night were taken away at his mother’s pressing demand. Despite everything that happened between them, Tommen was still disappointed when the handmaid reported she saw Cersei whispering with dubious members of the court. To be completely honest with himself, Tommen still cared about his mother and hoped she would not do something that would force him to lock her up or worse, sentence her to death. _In the other hand, executing her for treason would send a strong message to deter everyone from plotting against me_ , he thought, matter-of-factly.

Just as they finished breaking their fast, Margaery announced she would not attend the first part of the weekly audience. It was odd, since she had taken the habit of standing next to Tommen, advising him while he listened to the people’s reclamations.

“When will I see you again ?” Tommen asked, anxious by the prospect of facing the people alone for the first time.

“Don’t worry, my dear husband, you will do nicely on your own.” Margaery answered, successfully understanding Tommen’s sorrow.

Tommen obviously talked to Margaery about his mother being up to something, and if Tommen was still oblivious to her intentions, Margaery clearly guessed what Cersei planned to do. In order to help her beloved discredit Cersei’s accusations, Margaery had an idea that would dissipate any doubts about their activities during their bedding night and the nights that followed, but she still needed a little bit of luck to succeed. And this morning, she unusually left Tommen’ side to make sure her feelings about the main part of her plan were right. Taking a longer path to be sure she would not be seen, Margaery started to walk in direction of the maester’s chamber. When she arrived in front of the door, she looked on both sides of the corridor to make sure no one was there before knocking. The maester quickly opened the door, realized it was the Queen in front of him and swiftly motioned for her to enter.

“Good morning my Queen, please take place, and don’t worry, I dismissed my servants for the day.” He murmured, like he feared someone was peeping on them.

“I hope you will confirm my impression, I would like to surprise the King.” Margaery admitted mischievously.

\-------------------------------------------------

Tommen had been sitting for a couple of hours, listening to his people’s requests and offering them the best solution he could. He truly wanted for them to be safe and happy, but for the moment, he was too occupied by his unease caused by the uncomfortable Iron Throne. Just as he thought the audience would now end, the last commoner leaving after Tommen assured him the guard would patrol more on his neighborhood, he noticed Cersei approaching. Bracing himself, he straightened, ready to face anything she would say. Gods, I wish Margaery was here.

“What brings you in front of King Tommen today, Lady Cersei ?” Jaime asked, as he took the responsibility to announce who was asking audience, despite already being a Kingsguard.

“I am here to ask for the annulment of the wedding between our King and Margaery Tyrell, I have a proof here that their marriage has not been consummated, and that Margaery Tyrell was not a maiden before her bedding ceremony” Cersei announced, speaking loud enough for everyone in the throne room to hear, and pointing at the sheets carried by servants.

“Here are the sheets of the bed Tommen and Margaery slept on during the bedding ceremony. As you can see, there is no blood. Yet, this morning I asked the maester to check on Margaery’s maidenhead and he admitted it was gone.”

Cersei paused to let the crowd react to the revelation, gasping and whispering.

"I accuse Margaery Tyrell of treason, for not fullfilling her duty as wife, but also for using her power on the King to promote her agenda and diminish the power of the Faith. As such, I ask for the annulment of the marriage between Tommen Baratheon and Margaery Tyrell, as well as the imprisonment of the traitor."

Of course,  in the eyes of Cersei, Tommen was the one to blame for the lack of sex during his wedding night, but she knew better than to accuse a King, even more when said King was respected and admired by his people. She was aware that she was taking a great risk by making such demands, but she was quickly satisfied when the crowd started to repeat her accusations. Just as Tommen was about to speak to defend her, Margaery entered the room, calmly walking to stand between Tommen and Cersei. At the sight of her, the room silenced itself, interested in what she would say to defend herself.

“It is true, “ she started, “I indeed lost my maidenhead before being wed.” The crowd erupted in surprise and stupefaction, growing louder and louder, but when they saw Margaery wanted to add something, the commoners once more stopped talking.

“But I can assure you, I was still a maiden before my first night with the King. The reason I did not bleed is because my maidenhead broke during my youth, as I rode my horse in the countryside near Highgarden. It is very uncommon yet perfectly possible, you can ask my grandmother about it.”

Without a word, Olenna nodded to confirm Margaery’s answer. Cersei was fuming, furious because she had not thought of this possibility and also because the people were now hesitating.

Tommen, who was silent all along, stood up, gathered as best as he could his authoritative tone and declared : “Mother, it is enough, I won’t tolerate any word from leaving your mouth anymore.” Stepping down the steps that separated the throne from the ground were the people stood, Tommen added : “I can assure you, if not for the disrobing from the guests part, the bedding ceremony has been respected, and I want anyone that would say otherwise to be aware of the consequences they would face.”

Tommen could feel the crowd was satisfied with his answer but that they did not trust him as much as they used to before.  He was starting to wonder what he could do to earn their trust back when he felt Margaery touching him, grabbing his arm while standing next to him. She asked wordlessly to the guards to silence the crowd and then declared :

“If you doubt your King, I am even more delighted to announce that I am with child.”

 


	11. What a wonderful world

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things happen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, a new chapter ! It is a few hundred words shorter than usual, I am sorry for that.

The crowd’s reaction was more than Margaery could ever have imagined. When she thought about announcing her pregnancy in front of everyone, she was aware that the people might be happy, but she was nonetheless startled when some began to cheer and congratulate them. Most of them were very polite and distinguished, but some also made salacious remarks about Tommen’ seed. Margaery felt elated that her happiness was shared, she felt like she belonged somewhere at last. Her initials doubts about telling everyone were gone, replaced by a reassuring serenity that everything was fine. Then, she became anxious, as Tommen did not uttered a word since her revelation. He had left the throne and she had trouble finding him, that is until she saw Jaime, and so she went to see him. She intended to ask him about Tommen but she noticed her husband sitting on the floor, lost in his thoughts. She sat next to him, put a hand on his shoulder and inquired softly : “My dear, are you bothered that I did not told you I am expecting before everyone ?”

Tommen straightened, gathering his thoughts, and without answering Margaery said : “Is it true ? Are you really with child or was it a lie you told to convince everyone my mother was a liar ?”. He moved to look at her right in the eyes, nervously waiting her response. She did not spoke right away, pained because he thought she could have lied, but also because it revealed how much he suffered from his mother betraying his trust. Already forgetting she was upset he assumed she could be the same than Cersei, Margaery took a deep breath, placed her hands on Tommen’s and said : “I would never deceive our people, nor would I lie to you. We are truly going to be parents, the maester is certain, I went to see him this morning.”. She let him process what she just said, then smirked : “Given how long you keep me awake every night, it was bound to happen.”. Tommen’s cheeks reddened, still shy about this matter, but Margaery did not had time to observe it because he hugged her closely, whispering in her ear how thrilled he was and thanking her for carrying their child.

They stayed in each other arms for a while, until they decided to go back in front of the audience, in order for Tommen to make a statement. As they walked to the throne, everyone started to cheer again, quickly stopping as Tommen was about to speak.

“Thank you for sharing our happiness, our union is truly blessed to be already fruitful, and all the recognition should go to my wonderful wife Margaery.” He pointed at her, everyone applauding her and congratulating them as Margaery smiled at them. “Nothing is organized yet, but I promise you there will be a beautiful celebration, and I expect everyone here to attend it, you are my guests !”.

The crowd erupted in joy again, glad to be presented with an occasion to celebrate and eat good food. Tommen rejoiced in seeing everyone so happy, but then he saw his mother fuming in a corner of the room. He hoped she would not do something foolish in front of everyone. He intended to ban her from King’s Landing but he did not want to do it in front of everyone. When she noticed him looking at her, she sneered and left the room, still holding the bedsheets.

 

Later that day, as Tommen just dismissed him for the night, Jaime sought out Cersei in order to speak with her. He did not had trouble to find her, he just had to go in the opposite direction of rushing servants who tried to escape his sister’s wrath. He finally found her, sat on a bench, a mean expression on her face. He waited for her to notice him, and seeing her face relax when she looked at him, he assumed he could sit beside her.

“So, Tommen is going to be a father, who knew it would happen so soon, surely not me.”. He said, breaking the silence. Unfortunately for him, Cersei was not in a talkative mood, so he continued, “After all, shy or not, when your wife is someone as beautiful as Margaery, it must not be hard to accomplish your duty and produce heirs.”. He knew it was provocative, but he had said anyway because it was true and he was convinced it would make Cersei react.

And react she did, “If you think she is so pretty, why don’t you go fuck her and leave me alone ?”, she snapped, turning to face him and looking right in his eyes like she wanted to kill him with her stare only. She was used at him being submissive with her, so she thought he would beg her for forgiveness and fall on his knees. But he did not. Instead, he stood up, staring back at the woman he once so dearly loved, and said with a composed voice : “I know you thought Tommen was afraid of being intimate because he told you so, but keep in mind that he when it comes to lying and plotting, he grew up with the best teacher one could ever ask for : you. Now I am going to leave, but before, Tommen wanted me to deliver a message to you.”, he gave her a sealed scroll and without looking back, left her alone.

Cersei waited until she could not hear his footsteps and then opened the scroll.

_“Tommen Baratheon, King of the Seven Kingdoms, Protector of the Realm, (…) hereby accuse Cersei Baratheon, nee Lannister, of treason and sentence Cersei Baratheon, nee Lannister, to be banished from King’s Landing for an indefinite amount of time. The traitor Cersei Baratheon must leave King’s Landing before the next moon, or else she will be imprisoned._

_Tommen Baratheon”_

She stared at the scroll, disbelieving, reading it multiple times to make sure it was true. After reading it for the tenth time, she had to accept that her last child had banished her from the capital of Westeros. While for some people, it might have been like an harsh way to realize how much a detestable person they were, for Cersei, it just added insult to the injury. There was no doubt about herself, no fear that she lost her last son, only the foul desire of vengeance.

 

Tommen and Margaery were at last alone, already discussing the arrangements for the celebration Tommen promised. For the first time in a while, they were laying on their bed with their clothes on, and if Tommen was to be believed, it would be like that until Margaery gave birth. They wanted to gather everyone in the Grand Sept of Baelor in order to bless their future child in front of the Seven. They both sincerely wanted to do that, and they figured it would be a good way to show that Tommen had nothing against the septons and septas. They planned a few things more and then decided to go to sleep, both exhausted by the day. As they drifted to sleep, Tommen sighed :

“I can’t wait to see this day happen."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be the last, I don't have the courage anymore to continue this story.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it !


	12. The Light of the Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where you found out why this story is only "slightly" AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the last chapter of this fic I only wrote because I liked the name "The Lion Rose".
> 
> I hope you will enjoy it.

The day after she announced her pregnancy, Margaery was summoned by her grandmother Olenna. Assuming the unofficial leader of house Tyrell would congratulate her and maybe even give her some pieces of advice for the months that followed, Margaery cheerfully walked in the gardens to the bench Olenna occupied. “Good afternoon grandmother, how are you?”, she innocently asked, oblivious to the tension in Olenna’s posture.

Without sparring her granddaughter, a glance, Olenna shrugged. “I don’t know, how would you feel if your granddaughter was pregnant and you were not informed of it before everyone else?”

Margaery gasped, not expecting this answer, then sat next to Olenna. “I ask you to forgive me, the maester just confirmed me I would become a mother soon and I could not wait to share the news.”

Olenna did not respond immediately, trying to get over her bitterness, and then said with a knowing glance “Anyways, congratulations, “Margaery beamed, but as she opened her mouth to speak, she noticed Olenna had not finished talking, “Now that you are carrying his heir, Tommen will be even more easy to manipulate.”

To say that Margaery was taken aback by the harsh honesty of her grandmother would have been an understatement. She was shocked, furious and disgusted at the same time, she wanted to scream at Olenna, to tell her what she thought of all those plots, all those lies, and everything else she now disapproved. But she did not, instead smiling politely, trying to speak as calmly as she could. “It is true he would surely rule like I tell him to if I wanted, but I must say I think he manages quite nicely to rule over the Seven Kingdoms, so my advice is not necessary I believe, even though he asks for it all the time.”

She was satisfied with the way she spoke, hoping her grandmother would only focus on the part where she said Tommen trusted her. Despite the confirmation Tommen was open to Margaery’ suggestions, Olenna was not a fool, and she also noticed how Margaery spoke of him with tenderness. Perhaps because she did not want to realize Margaery had changed, Olenna shrugged and attributed Margaery’s fondness to her pregnancy. “I am glad to hear that,” Olenna finally spoke, “now if you will excuse me, I need to rest for a while.”. And with that being said, she stood up and left Margaery alone.

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King’s Landing was thriving. Everything and everyone were fine, and the future looked bright for the first time since decades. Trades in the city were increasing, new jobs were needed almost every day, and the children could carelessly and safely play in the streets. Looking at the city from the Red Keep, Tommen liked to think it was thanks to his decisions and Margaery’s help. He felt relief for succeeding in being a good ruler, kind but impartial, just like he intended to. Not a single day passed without someone inquiring about the date of the celebration, and for that, Tommen was grateful. Now almost six-and-ten, he thought back at the previous rulers, bitterly admitting they were not worthy of such title, his father and his brother included. Under their reign, the people were afraid, famished and poor. The streets were dangerous, and it was a very bad idea to walk in those streets alone, even for the men who knew how to fight. The rulers and their councils did not sincerely care for the people, only trying to protect their interests or eliminate those threatening their power, rightfully or not. To put it simply, Tommen was thrilled that he contributed in making King’s Landing a better place to live in.

On top of that, he recently met the Lords of the most powerful Houses, and they all seemed to agree that they needed to put an end to their quarrels, that only benefited the banks and those who had gold. The Seven Kingdoms were now more united than ever, ready to face any threats, and if the rumors were true, a huge army composed by dead soldiers was coming from the North. Tommen thought the White Walkers were a myth, but he also knew the men of the Nights Watch were neither known for making jokes nor lying. He was expecting their emissary very soon and promised the emissary would bring back men to the Wall with him. He also wanted to send a part of his army to be trained alongside the Brothers, but he intended to ask Margaery’s opinion on this subject before.

Thinking of his wife brought a smile on his face. Each day, he woke up next to her, and each day he marveled at her beauty. He felt like he saw her for the first time, instantly falling in love with her again and again. Her stomach only recently started to swell, for Tommen’s greatest pleasure, who now wanted nothing more than to be able to spend his entire days next to her, rubbing her belly tenderly. With that being said, it should also be mentioned that his vow to not be intimate with Margaery until she gave birth was put to the test every time, he entered a room Margaery was in. Before he could regain composure, he would often find his hands roaming on the body of the mother of his future child, Margaery thoroughly enjoying teasing him and tempting him to break his promise.

Margaery and he decided that the celebration would take place during the next moon, deciding that their child needed to be developed enough for the Seven to bless them. They would gather everyone that wanted to come and fill the Grand Sept of Baelor at the maximum of its capacity. As they had thought, the High Septon gladly accepted to their demand that he led the blessing ceremony, openly expressing his relief that Tommen did not renounce on the Faith.

At first, Tommen did not realize that he also gave his mother until the next moon to leave King’s Landing but remembered about it as he discussed about his decision to banish her with Jaime, who honestly told Tommen that he understood why he did that, although he admitted he would miss her. He considered inviting Cersei to the celebration: she was going to be a grandmother after all; but quickly dismissed the idea, still hurt by her behavior towards him, and more importantly towards Margaery. As a kindhearted person, Tommen could not understand why someone would try so hard to discredit the most important person in their child’s life. Fortunately for his mood, Margaery was there to help him cast away these somber thoughts. At last, since every time he saw her, Cersei seemed to avoid him, Tommen decided that he would not invite her to such a glorious event.

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Cersei had not been idle since the announcement of her banishment, too occupied in organizing her belongings, planning her future and all the sort of things you could imagine someone forced to leave a city should be doing. During days following the news, Cersei had been fuming, drowned in hatred and desires of vengeance. Then, as she wandered, she stumbled into places and information that helped her get over the pain of leaving King’s Landing. It had only been a foolish dream, a way to evacuate her anger into something, the mere thought of doing it sending shivers of pleasure down her spine. Just as she felt relieved of her hatred, Cersei saw Margaery and Tommen embracing, laughing and seemingly in a completely different world than everyone around them. The sight disgusted her, and made her jealous, as she would never live something like that anymore. Luckily for her psychopathic tendencies, she found another maniac who was thrilled by her plan. She spent her last days in King’s Landing with this man, talking in closed spaces where no one could hear them, barely eating and sleeping.

The day before the ceremony, she was walking in the gardens, humming softly, when Jaime arrived, seemingly intending to talk with her.

“Hello, my dear sister, what puts you in such a great mood today?”

Cersei, chuckling lightly, turned to face him. “I have a feeling tomorrow will be a fantastic day! I can’t wait for you to see what I prepared.”

Jaime, now slightly alarmed, furrowed his brows. “You know tomorrow is the celebration of Margaery’s pregnancy, don’t you?”

Laying a hand on one of his shoulders, Cersei murmured: “Don’t worry dear brother, my little celebration will be at the end of the big ceremony.”

Without allowing Jaime to ask for explanations, Cersei swiftly left.

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Here it was, the big celebration Tommen promised to his people. The Grand Sept of Baelor was packed with men, women and children who wanted to be attend what was dubbed ‘The Biggest Feast ever made’. He was standing alongside Margaery, holding her hand and sometimes touching her growing stomach, both waiting for the High Septon to ask the audience to be silent.

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At the end of the ceremony, a servant came to Tommen and announced Cersei wanted to talk to him before she left. Thinking she might apologize for she did, and seeing everyone was discussing, he assumed he had the time to quickly go see what she wanted and come back. He was telling Margaery about it when her eyes went wide, her mouth agape. Without a word, she took one of his hands and placed in on her stomach. At first, Tommen did not notice, but then he felt their child kicking. Grinning, he kissed Margaery and repeated he would not be gone too long.

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When he arrived in his chambers, where Cersei had said she would be, he found it empty, his curtains wide open, allowing him to see the Grand Sept of Baelor. He looked at it fondly for a while, reminiscing of the feeling of his first child kicking, and then finally saw a piece of parchment that was not here when he left his chambers in the morning. He took it and read:

_“My dear son, may the Light of the Seven bless your child.”_

When he finished reading it, he heard an enormous explosion, and as he looked through the window again, he saw green fire escaping from the top of the Grand Sept of Baelor, destroying it.

Without faltering, he walked through the window, stood on the edge, and jumped to join his wife and his child.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "If you thought this was gonna have a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention."
> 
> Sorry PrincessElizabethTudor and everyone else that thought Tommen and Margaery were going to have a happy ending.


End file.
